Hideo Oboro, and The Legend of The Oboro clan
by Zegram
Summary: The great Oboro shinobi, a mysterious and powerful clan. Join Hideo Oboro, one of the greatest ninja in this clan as he carries out assassinations, protects his clan, and tries to become one of the greatest shinobi to ever live.
1. Chapter 1

Japan: 1586

From the shadows a dark figure appears, as if he were one with the shadow. He silently walked across the unlit area and into a small tent. Inside a hooded figure, in a dark blue cloak, with the bottom of his face shrouded, by a purple shroud sat on a small pillow, awaiting him. The tent was dimly lit by candle light, the light hit the figure but didn't reveal much except that it was a man, he was dressed completely in black, with most of his face covered. The man was 5'8" and fairly muscular but the only thing that really could be seen was his short brown hair and dark brown eyes. On his forearms the man wore dark grey gauntlets, at his side was a dark brown satchel, and on the small of his back was a sheathed Ninjato.

The hooded man examined him for a moment and gave him a short nod before pulling out a file. The standing man reached out and grabbed the file, he opened it and began to look through the contents. There was a picture of an elderly Japanese man, his hair grey and his eyes squinted to the point that they were almost closed. The man turned his attention away from the picture and began reading the large paragraph of information beside it. He finished quickly, closed the file and put it away in his satchel. The man nodded and seemingly glided back into the shadows where he disappeared.

The dark figure appeared again, moving quickly and quietly, jumping from rooftop to rooftop. He came to a stop on top of a tall tower of a large house. The pale full moonlight hit him, giving him an almost supernatural glow. He looked down at the buildings below him, his eyes examining every building. Suddenly the man disappeared in a black blur, he reappeared minutes later on a rooftop across from a large and beautiful mansion. The man examined the building and its surroundings, looking through every detail.

The mansion was large and resembled many old Japanese buildings, and around the property was a ten foot wall. Leading from the gate of the wall to the front door of the mansion was a concrete walkway. The man took note of the two guards at the gate, each carrying a spear and wearing armor, there were two more guards by the main door, if they had weapons they were concealed in their robes. The man also took note of the several bushes and small trees around the property, they could be valuable cover. He also noticed two more guards in robes with katanas patrolling around the building.

He analyzed their pattern, it was quite simple they start at the front, turn around and walk to the back, where they pass each other then the other walks to the front then turns around and continues the same rounds. He began to time them, four separate times, first it took fifty seconds, the second it was fifty three, the third it was fifty, and the fourth it was fifty one again. So he would have fifty seconds at the least, fifty three at the most. He was thinking of the best way to pass the guards, he was going to try not to come into contact with any of them.

He would jump down from the left side of this building, quickly move over to the left side of the wall, scale it while the ninjas on patrol are out back, then get into the building through a window. He had no idea what awaited him in the building, from the file he could see that the man was very paranoid and most likely the bulk of his security would be in there. The man was going to have to risk it, he was prepared to jump down when he heard the sound of horses. He stopped himself and walked into the shadows, pressing himself against the wall.

The carriage stopped for a moment at the gate and the two guards with spears pulled open the gates so the carriage could pass. It came to a stop on the concrete pathway and two men stepped out. One was fairly short, wearing the same robes as the other guards and holding a wakizashi. The other was much taller, wearing red O-yoroi without a helmet and had a naginata strapped to his back. The two men looked around for a minute then motioned for someone inside the carriage and out walked the young man's target. The elderly Japanese man according to his file his name was Osamu Nonomaru.

The grey haired man walked up to one of the doormen and began speaking with him, the man couldn't hear clearly until he almost yelled out the word, "Shinobi!". The doorman quickly nodded and ran in, he soon came back with three more men. "Dammit..." The young ninja said, they were aware that he was coming tonight. Osamu began ordering the bodyguards around until the pattern was greatly altered before walking in with his two main bodyguards, the man in O-yoroi and the short man.

The ninja began examining the new rotation. Osamu was smart, he knew no self respecting ninja would use the main gate so he moved the two men with spears to guard the front of the mansion. The two men that had been patrolling the whole building were now patrolling out back, with two new guards patrolling the sides. The two men that were guarding the door were now with a third guard patrolling around the walls in tight intervals, being prepared if someone were to try and scale the wall.

The shinobi had to stop himself from cursing, the plan had just gotten much more difficult. The two men with spears wouldn't be too much of a problem, they didn't seem to be moving anytime soon. The two men in the back weren't much of a concern as his original plan was a side window anyway. But the two men at the side were moving much faster as they didn't have far to go, he timed them twice, took about twenty seconds each time. But his main concern were the guards observing the walls, they were a bit of a wild card. They weren't moving in any visible pattern just walking randomly around, looking for anything suspicious.

He saw something that caught his interest, one of the three guards patrolling the walls was standing in the corner of the left side, relieving himself. The other two guards were off on the right while the guard patrolling that side had his back turned. This was his chance, the man quickly jumped off the building and dashed across the street. He pulled out a grappling hook like mechanism, he pushed a button unleashing a strong rope with a sharp point on the end that stabbed into the wall. He pushed the button again and the rope pulled him up.

He put the tool back in his satchel and flipped onto the wall, the ninja looked down at the body guard. The fool had no idea what was coming but the ninja did, he unsheathed his Ninjato and jumped down at the guard, holding his sword , prepared to stab. The ninja landed on the man's shoulders, the weight of ninja brought the bodyguard to his knees. Before the bodyguard could yelp or scream the ninja stabbed him through the chest, penetrating his heart. His blade went clean through and came out just under the guard's shoulder blade. The ninja jerked his sword to the side slightly before pulling out the blade, just to be sure of the kill.

He looked up and saw the other guard turning around, he quickly jumped back, disappearing into the shadows. The unexpected guard turned around and continued his patrol, when he saw his comrade on the ground. "Dammit all! Get your lazy ass up Hideki!" The guard yelled, under the impression that he was asleep. The guard mumbled something then walked over to his comrade, then he noticed it..the blood. He was about to yell out when suddenly the ninja bursted out from the shadows. He stabbed the man up the jaw and through his head, killing him instantly.

The ninja cleaned his sword on the back of the guard's clothes as he fell forward and onto his comrade's body. The man pushed the bodies behind a large bush, it probably wouldn't be long until someone noticed them but if he did his job well, he would already be gone by then. The man quickly ran over to a window and slid it open. He jumped in and closed the window behind him. He glanced around the room he had arrived in, it was a dining room. He walked around the table and moved to the door.

He was reaching out to slide the door open when he noticed a shadow walking towards it, he moved to the side of the door and unsheathed his Ninjato. The guard slid the door and was about to walk in when he felt something was wrong and stopped. But it was too late, the ninja grabbed him and pulled him into the shadows, being sure to put his hand over the man's mouth to silence him. He then stabbed the blade deep into the man's gut then twisted it repeatedly, the man was coughing blood all over the ninja's hand but he didn't dare move his hand.

The man stopped breathing and died in his arms, the ninja pulled out his blade and cleaned both the blade and his hand on the man's robes. He moved the body away from the doorway, concealing it if someone were just passing by but if they were to step in and looked they would probably find it. The ninja then put his back against the wall then reached into his satchel and pulled out a mirror. He held it out of the doorway so that the contents of the next room were reflected.

The room was nothing more than a simple sitting room but there was a staircase leading up. He doubted someone like Osamu would have his quarters down here on the bottom floor. He seemed like someone that would want a good view of his property and its surroundings, so he could spot oncoming attackers. There also was a single guard but he was asleep in a chair, there would be no reason for him to die so the ninja just passed him by as he made his way to the staircase.

He silently moved up the steps and into a hallway, there were several rooms on each side and a single guard was walking up and down the halls. His back was turned for the time being but The ninja had to move and quick. He quickly and silently walked into the room closest to him, the room was a bedroom and a beautiful woman was there sleeping on the bed. The ninja ignored her presence and walked across the room to the window. He slid it open and the woman stirred slightly but he jumped out and closed the window behind him before she could wake up.

The man ran on the roof and flipped up to a higher part of the roof, making his way up to the top. He was about to continue upward when he looked and saw a guard looking out the window at him. The bodyguard was about to yell out but the ninja was to quick, he jumped through the open window and kicked the man in the throat. The guard stumbled back, holding his throat and gasping, the ninja pulled out his Ninjato and slashed the guard across the chest, killing him. The ninja sheathed his sword but instead of walking back on to the roof he stepped out of the room.

He was in another hallway he was right next to a stairway leading upwards, there was an armored guard with a spear with his back turned, walking down the hallway but the man ignored him for now and ran upstairs. As soon as he reached the top of the stairs a foot was planted in his face, the strength of the kick sent him falling back down the stairs. The ninja recovered, landing on his hands and flipping back to his feet when he reached the last step. He looked up to see who attacked him and saw it was the man with the Wakizashi from before.

The man quickly ran down the steps to face the ninja, he had a smug smirk on his face for finding the ninja. The man began looking from his attacked to the guard with the spear behind him, he was now aware of his presence and pointing the spear at his back but was at least a foot away. The ninja looked at the man in front of him, he now could get a good look at him, he was 5'6", had black spiky hair and matching black eyes with a scar running down the right side of his face. He was wearing the same blue robes and black pants as other guards but opened at the chest.

The guard behind the ninja thought he was distracted and he attacked, lunging forward with his spear. The ninja easily avoided the attack, the failed attack had left the guard wide open with no way to defend himself. The ninja quickly spun around and slashed the man across the throat with his Ninjato, easily killing him, he was nothing but a fool without any skill. The other man behind him was in no hurry to share his fate, he unsheathed his sword and attacked the ninja from behind.

The ninja spun around and the blocked the man's shorter sword with his own. The man was shorter than him but the shinobi knew not to underestimate him. From that kick he felt earlier his sandals must have some kind of steel plating on the bottom of them so he would have to be sure to avoid his feet. The shorter man broke the hold and slashed up for the ninja's head, the ninja blocked the attack and slashed down at the shorter man's shoulder. The shorter man sidestepped the attack and slashed for the shinobi's side.

The ninja blocked the attack but the guard didn't let up, he quickly followed up with a stab directed at the ninja's abdomen. The taller man blocked the blade with his gauntlets and came down with a slash on the small man. The man flipped back onto his hands and blocked the blade with the steel plating on his sandals. He then flipped back onto his feet and in a crouching position then slashed for the ninja's legs. The ninja jumped but as soon as he landed the shorter man attacked again.

The ninja deflected a slash directed for his head, then one aimed for his side. The man was tenacious, fast, agile, and didn't show any signs of tiring. Then the man made a crucial mistake, he jumped up and slashed downward at the ninja, who sidestepped the attack. The ninja then kicked the man in the head, sending him stumbling back. The man began slashing wildly in front of himself, trying to keep the ninja back while he regained his composure. The ninja had no time he had to complete his mission.

With a quick motion of his hands the ninja disappeared in a puff of smoke and reappeared an instant later behind his enemy. He slashed his sword across the man's back, the man yelped and fell forward. Whether he was dead or not the ninja had no time to be sure he had to finish this assassination before even more knew of his presence, which he assumed wouldn't be long. This time when he moved up the stairs he was a bit more cautious, as to be sure not to get surprised again. He still couldn't believe he was caught completely off guard like that, he was over confident and careless for that instant but for now he couldn't let his mind wander he had to stay focused on his mission.

He made it to the top of the steps and looked around, he was in an empty room. Well empty of people but there were several fancy chairs, tables, golden vases, and other valuables. Most likely obtained through unlawful means. He heard some people running through the hallway downstairs so he quickly ran across the room and out of a window. Once again he was on the roof, making his way to the top. He opened a window and jumped in. This was the top of the mansion, there were stairs beside the window leading to the rest of the structure but now he was in a large square room with three doors.

The ninja began making his way to the middle door, when he looked from the outside he saw a large window on the back of the top most structure which was most likely in this area. And it seemed only natural that someone as paranoid as Osamu would want a view like that, to see all of his enemies coming. All except for this one. He reached for the door but before he could get his hand on it the tall man with the naginata in red o-yoroi burst through the door on the right.

The bodyguard slashed the blade for the back of the shinobi's head, the ninja quickly ducked under the slice and came up with a slash of his own but the man blocked it with the long spear like hilt of the blade. The man slashed down with naginata but the shinobi easily side stepped the strike and went to stab the man in the chest. The man quickly spun the naginata around and deflected the attack, and also knocked the ninja off balance for a minute. The O-yoroi clad bodyguard was quick to capitalize, slashing for the ninja's head.

The shinobi bent back till his hands touched the ground to avoid the attack then quickly sprang up and slashed for the man's chest. The man blocked the attack with his blade then moved his weapon upward, trying to hit the shinobi in the chin with the hilt of his naginata. The ninja moved to the side and crouched to avoid the attack and then slashed for the bodyguards's abdomen. The guard barely managed to spin his blade around in time to block but his balance was disrupted by the sudden movement and strength of The ninja's attack.

The ninja capitalized by going for a stab to the man's side but the man blocked the attack with the gauntlets of his armor. The bodyguard followed up by swinging the long hilt of his blade for the ninja's head. The ninja ducked under the attack and came up with a vertical slash. The bodyguard jumped back but the blade still barely grazed him, cutting slightly into his o-yoroi. The bodyguard roared slightly and attacked, slamming the blade of his naginata down on the shinobi.

The ninja held his blade up to block, which was a mistake, the bodyguard had much more physical strength than him. The bodyguard gritted his teeth and put more and more pressure down on the ninja, who was struggling to push the blade back. The shinobi was actually being brought down to his knees. The bodyguard began laughing as he saw the great warrior down on his knee, the ninja could feel the pressure lifting slightly, according to plan. Suddenly, and without warning the ninja slid forward between the legs of his attacker and jumped back to his feet behind him.

The ninja slashed for the bodyguard's back but, with a sudden burst of speed, the guard spun around and managed to block the attack. The guard followed up by slashing for the shinobi's head, the ninja ducked under the attack and came with a slash of his own. The guard moved the hilt of his sword to block the attack. The young shinobi was focused on his foe when he heard it, footsteps on the stairs. It sounded like a fairly large group, most likely over five, he had to end this quickly.

He would get his chance, as suddenly the man lunged forward with his naginata. The man jumped over the attack and the blade stabbed into the wall. The ninja landed effortlessly and weightlessly on the hilt. The group of bodyguards were making their way up the stairs when the ninja jumped and kick the large bodyguard in o-yoroi in the chest, sending him stumbling down the stairs and taking the other guards with him. The ninja wasted no more time, he threw open the door and ran into the room.

As he thought, it appeared to be sleeping quarters but Osamu didn't seem to be sleeping, he was sitting up on a cushion with his back turned, looking out a large window. The ninja was amazed the he hadn't heard all of the commotion, in fact he didn't believe it. This had to be a decoy or something like that, he wouldn't forgive himself if he let his target get away. The ninja made his way to the sitting figure anyway. He put his hand on the figure's shoulder while he moved his sword to attack when suddenly...

The body fell over, lifeless, "What?" The shinobi asked himself as he crouched down to get a better look. Osamu's throat was cut and deep, there was blood running all down his shirt. The ninja was amazed that he couldn't smell the massive amount of blood. What happened here? Had he committed suicide? Was the thought of a ninja hunting him too much? Did one of the guards turn on him? Then he noticed something, a ninja knife stabbed into the ground. The ninja walked over and picked it up, when he saw the crest on the hilt he balled his fist in anger.

"We were given no warning..." He said to himself. Suddenly the bodyguards, led by the man in o-yoroi, bursted in but when they arrived the ninja was already gone without a trace...


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter One: The Imagawa clan

The young shinobi was running through the city, heading back towards his village, his home. He moved quickly and silently through the darkness, constantly looking down at the dagger in his hand. He soon arrived at the large wooden gates of his village and pulled down his mask. "You're back Hideo!" Someone from behind the gates called out.

"Please hurry and open the gates." The shinobi named Hideo replied, he was in a hurry. Soon after he said that the gates opened to his village, Oboro village, his home. Hideo Oboro quickly ran through the gates and through the village, heading towards a large building overlooking the rest of the village.

He loved his village and wanted to do everything in his power to help it so he had to get this message to the village leader fast. He quickly arrived at the home of the village leader and slid the door open, this was his house after all. He ran into a nearby room and inside three men were sitting at a table, discussing village matters. The man sitting on the left was the same shrouded man in the tent that handed out the assignments. The man across from him was the village elder, Gekko an old and wise man with silver hair and beard to match.

At the end of the table sat the Village Leader, and Hideo's father, Makoto Oboro. His father was the strongest ninja in the village at the time and is actually hailed as one of the best in Oboro's history. He was an inch taller than his son, had the same brown eyes and brown hair, though his was darker and longer but brushed back to stay far from his eyes. He had a short beard and mustache, there were signs of greying in his hair but he didn't seem old at all. The man had a commanding presence, whether he was sitting or standing.

"Hideo? It is not like you to show such a lack of respect." Makoto said, now Hideo felt ashamed of just barging in like this.

"Forgive me father but this important..." Hideo began, reaching into his satchel for the dagger he had pocketed on his way here.

"What of your assassination? Were you successful? Is Nonomaru, Osamu dead?" Gekko asked.

"Yes he is dead but..." Hideo began, he doubted his father would like the news he had to give.

"Speak Hideo." Makoto ordered.

"He wasn't killed by me, but by another ninja." Hideo said, the hooded man turned to him with an interested look on his face, as did Gekko. His father had a curious look to but he also stared at his son with a disappointed look.

"Are you sure it was another shinobi?" Gekko asked. In response Hideo pulled out the knife and threw it into the center of the table, where the blade stuck in. Makoto almost glared at him for the action but pulled the knife out of the table and examined the crest on the hilt.

"The Imagawa clan?" He asked aloud, examining the crest on the dagger.

"I found that dagger next to the target's body, he throat was slit, deep." Hideo explained.

"But the Imagawa wouldn't do something like. They didn't issue a warning." Gekko said. It was true, ninja are required to give fair warning when they're taking on the same assignment as another clan. It was very strange that the Imagawa clan wouldn't warn them as their clans were usually on good terms.

"Are you sure someone didn't simply plant the knife?" Makoto asked, "Its not like the Imagawa, or any shinobi to leave their murder weapon behind."

"I'm sorry father, I can only tell you what I saw and I didn't get a good look at the body, guards were coming." Hideo said, his head was low staring at the ground but he could feel his father's eyes on him.

"You were seen?" He asked, Hideo slowly looked up and into his father's eyes.

"Yes, by at least one person that is still alive, there may be another, I'm not sure if he died or not." Hideo said, being sure to tell the truth, Makoto could tell when someone was lying most of the time.

"And how many did you kill?" Makoto asked, the three men were all starring at the shinobi now, listening intently to his every reply.

"I'm sure of five kills." Hideo answered.

"Hmm... Fine, you are dismissed, tomorrow we will meet with Imagawa clan." Makoto said, looking at the dagger in his hands.

"Yes father." Hideo said, with a short bow as he walked out.

"He is becoming a lot like you Makoto." Gekko said, stroking his beard.

"Yes perhaps... Now we must get back down to business." Makoto began but Hideo walked away and shut the door before hearing more.

He walked through the house and into his own room, it was late and he was tired. His face was still sore after that kick but the pain didn't bother him much. He was smiling after what he had overheard, his father thinking he was growing to be like him. At times it seemed Hideo half hated, half loved his father but still his ultimate goal in life was to be just like him. Hideo got dressed for bed and laid down, keeping his ninjato right next to him. he also slid his hand under the small pillow and wrapped his hand around a hidden shuriken. If something were to startle him in the night, he would throw the shuriken as a distraction while he reached for his ninjato.

Hideo didn't drift off to sleep, he laid there in the bed staring at the ceiling and thinking. He considered the mission a failure. Even though he most likely would've killed his target if his throat wasn't already slit. It was just how his father taught him, to be perfect, to always complete a mission to the letter, to show no emotion or hesitation during a mission. If it was required to kill five people only five would be slain. If a sixth was killed, even if in self defense the mission was a failure, thus was the way of the assassin.

Hideo was trying to adopt the same mind set but he was finding it difficult to completely disregard his emotions. When the target was a woman or a person who had done no real wrong he always found himself wanting to let them go but he knows he can't. He has to carry out his mission, which is most of the time an assassination, which were considered Oboro's speciality. He was expected to become a great ninja, exceeding his own father, for it was his destiny to lead the clan when his father died. The young ninja thought through this for quite sometime before drifting off to sleep.

Hideo awoke with a start the next day when his bedroom door was slid open. He jumped up, shuriken in hand, he almost threw it at the figure in the doorway but stopped himself when he recognized the figure. It was only Aiko, unlike most people in the village, Aiko was not trained as a shinobi, she was like their maid. She cooked, cleaned, and did most of the things that Makoto and Hideo couldn't bother to do. At times Aiko was a bit motherly to Hideo even though she was closer to his age than to Makoto's, and at other times she was more like a sister.

"I'm sorry if I startled you, Hideo-san." She said, with short bow. Hideo laughed lightly, he could tell that it was really he that had startled her, she had really bowed just so he couldn't see the frightened look on her face.

"Its fine, Aiko." He said, moving his hand upward, motioning for her to look up, "What is it you need?"

"It was Makoto-sama, he wanted you to awaken early to get ready for your meeting with the Imagawa clan." She said, saying Makoto's name with a great deal of due respect.

"I see. Thank you Aiko, for waking me up." He said getting to his feet, she nodded and stepped out.

Hideo got to his feet and got dressed, putting on a simple purple robe and black hakama. He put on a pair of long socks and brown sandals before walking out. He walked over to the dining room and sat down at the table, across from his father. He was surprised to see it wasn't just him and his father. Gekko had joined them along with another man, a skilled Oboro shinobi named, Akio. He was the same height as Hideo, had jet black hair, tied in a short pony tail, and matching dark black eyes.

Akio stared over at Hideo, almost glaring. Hideo knew that Akio pretty much hated both him and his father, he was sure his father knew as well. Akio felt that his family deserved the honor of passing down the famed sword, the Akujiki. The wielder of the sword would be known as the village leader. Currently his father possessed the sword and when he died it would be passed down to Hideo, then he would pass it to his son. But if both he and his father were to die the blade would be given to Akio to pass down.

For that reason Hideo didn't trust Akio much at all but he was a very skilled shinobi, which only added to his worry. He was sure that his father didn't have complete trust in Akio either but he was always there at his father's side whenever they met with other clans, in case something bad were to happen. Another thing to be hated about Akio was his prejudice against ninja outside of the Oboro clan. Which may be the reason why his father would bring him with them in case they had to fight.

"You're late." Akio said, in a condescending way.

"I'm sorry. I didn't know the Imagawa were already here, I was unaware that they were invisible." Hideo replied, it wasn't like him to disrespect his elders but he made an exception with Akio. Aiko laughed as she placed their food on the table. Makoto cleared his throat loudly, which caused her to stop laughing abruptly and almost made Hideo jump. Hideo looked down at his plate and started eating, as did all the others.

"So father, when are the Imagawa going to arrive?" Hideo asked, after clearing his plate.

"Soon, we are all moving to the meeting room now, they could be here at any moment." Makoto replied, getting to his feet, the other three all did the same. The three all followed their leader into a large square room. There was a long wooden table elevated on the ground, they each took their seats at four cushions behind the table. There were a few cushions on the floor in front of them for whoever they were meeting, which in this case was the Imagawa clan.

Soon after they had taken their seats Aiko returned, but this time she was leading three people in and Hideo recognized them all. In the lead was the Imagawa village leader, Yoshihiro Imagawa, a man in his 50s who stood at 5'10". He had long white, wild hair, that went pass his shoulders and grey eyes. He had a line of red paint starting from under each of his eyes and going down to his jaw. He was wearing fancy robes, like most people wore in meetings as a sign of no hostility, in the Imagawa colors; white and red, with small hints of purple.

Hideo had met Yoshihiro before and he knew he was a very co-operative man, who wouldn't lie to them. He seemed to desire nothing more than peace between all the shinobi clans. Hideo began examining the young man at his side, he recognized him as Yoshihiro's son, Matsu Imagawa. Matsu had grey eyes, like his father but they seemed more emotionless than his, and white blonde hair also much like his father but his hair was cut much shorter to keep out of his eyes and ears. He was dressed like his father in the Imagawa colors, with the crest on his back.

It was a bit strange for Hideo to see him like this, he had met him before but on each of those occasions he was dressed for a mission. Wearing mostly black with some hints of red, katana sheathed on his back, wearing a belt lined with throwing knives and shuriken, and most of his face covered. Matsu was four years older than Hideo and was called, 'The Imagawa clan prodigy', and, from what Hideo could tell, he deserved that title. He had been on a mission with him twice in the past and on those occasions Matsu showed remarkable skill. Matsu never really seemed to care what others thought of him though, he simply does missions because they're his job, and he tries hard at his job, often exceeding expectations.

The last person was easily the most interesting of the three, at least to Hideo, she was Yoshihiro's daughter, Emiko Imagawa. She was dressed in a white and red kimono, she stood at 5'5" and had white blonde hair, much like her father's and brother's, which she was wearing up for the occasion. She also had their grey eyes but her's were more like her father's, in that, they appeared kinder than Matsu's.

Hideo had met her before a few times but it was always on missions, briefing, or official business. He usually saw her dressed for combat, wearing an outfit similar to her brother's but better suited to fit a kunoichi. She also always had her weapon of choice, a sansetsukon strapped to her back, except for now of course. Hideo thought she was beautiful and interesting, he always wanted to talk to her but he never did. Not because he was nervous or anything like that but because his father simply wouldn't let him.

Before Hideo could think anymore on the subject his father spoke, "Thank you for coming on such short notice, Yoshihiro." He said, Hideo could see that under the table he was clenching the Imagawa dagger he found in his hand.

"Its not trouble at all Makoto, though I didn't appreciate you not saying why in your message." Yoshihiro replied.

"Well I thought it would be best to say so in person." Makoto said, slowing lifting up the dagger.

"And what is it exactly Makoto?" Yoshihiro asked. Makoto responded by tossing the knife at him, which he easily caught.

"Well this is certainly one of our daggers, and bloodstained as well. Now how did it get into your position Makoto?" Yoshihiro asked, while examining the knife.

"I was hoping you could tell me how it sliced the throat of one of our targets." Makoto said, he didn't seem to be asking at all but demanding.

"Well I can assure it wasn't any of our shinobi." Yoshihiro responded.

"How can I be so sure of this? I mean your great Imagawa prodigy upstaging one of our village's best, would really make your clan look good wouldn't it?" Makoto said, like he had discovered their plot. Matsu gave him a suspicious look but Yoshihiro kept his smile. Hideo almost smiled himself at hearing his father say he was one of the best in the village.

"Makoto are you trying to intimidate me?" Yoshihiro asked, after a short laugh, Akio balled his fists and looked like he was about to get up but Gekko stopped him.

"No, nothing like that. I'm just repeating what you were thinking when you told your son to kill Nonomaru Osamu when you knew full well my son was after the same target. Maybe you were hoping they would end up in combat? And your prodigy would kill my son and prove his superiority." Makoto said, staring right at Yoshihiro, like he was trying to read his thoughts, and Yoshihiro just stared back. Everyone else just looked at the staring match, almost everyone but Gekko and Matsu seemed confused, Gekko seemed to know what they were doing and Matsu just didn't seem to care.

"Now Makoto... That was very good, have you considered writing a book?" Yoshihiro said, breaking off the staring match with a slight laugh.

"Just needed to see how you reacted old friend." Makoto said, almost smiling. Everyone just stared at them both, Hideo and Emiko both seemed a bit shocked, Gekko was just grinning, Akio seemed disappointed and Matsu seemed bored.

"So then we are at an agreement here?" Yoshihiro asked, Makoto opened his mouth to respond but Akio interrupted him.

"How are we sure that your son over there didn't act on his own?!" He asked, Matsu slowly turned his head and stared at him, coldly.

"I only kill who I am required to kill, no more, no less. Though there is someone I wouldn't mind killing at this very moment." He said, staring, almost glaring at Akio, who quickly got to his feet.

"Then why don't you go ahead and try?" He asked, glaring right back at the young Imagawa shinobi. Matsu started to get to his feet but Yoshihiro put his hand on his shoulder and pushed him back down. Akio reached in his robe and Hideo noticed he was pulling out a weapon.

"Akio!" Makoto yelled in a commanding voice. Akio quickly released the weapon and sat down, he may be jealous of Makoto but he still respected him.

"I'm sorry about this Yoshihiro." Makoto said, Hideo was almost shocked to hear his father apologizing.

"It was my son who spoke out here, Makoto. And you know there is no need for apologies between the two of us." Yoshihiro said.

"Well then I don't think any of your shinobi were responsible for this, though I doubt everyone here shares my feelings." Makoto said with a quick glance to Akio before continuing, "Someone seems to be trying to frame your clan..." Akio tried to say something but Gekko stopped him. "I think we should continue this conversation in private, Akio, Hideo leave." Makoto ordered, Hideo nodded and got to his feet, Akio cursed under his breath but still got to his feet.

"Both of you leave as well." Yoshihiro said to his children who both nodded and walked out. The two Oboro shinobi quickly followed suit and exited the room.

Akio stood beside the door and leaned against the wall while the others walked outside. Matsu sat down beside the front door with his back against the wall while Emiko walked around examining the grounds. Hideo watched her walking around, looking at the architecture, he didn't know how often she had been to the Oboro village but she seemed very interested. After a while of staring at her from a distance Hideo decided to disobey his father and walk over to talk to her.

He walked over and tapped her on the shoulder, she turned around and examined him for a moment before looking back at his eyes, "Do you need something?" She asked.

"I just wanted-" Hideo began but before he could finish he was interrupted.

"Hello Hideo." A familiar voice called, he spun around and saw his childhood friend, Sho. He was slightly shorter than Hideo, his hair was black, unkept, short in the back, and cheekbone length in the front, his eyes were as dark as his hair. "Imagawa Kunoichi..." He said when he saw Emiko, in as condescending a way as possible.

Sho was Akio's son, thankfully for Hideo he hadn't inherited his father's hatred and jealously for him and his father but he had inherited his distrust of other clans. Emiko almost scoffed after hearing the comment and walked off to join her brother. "I was trying to have a conversation." Hideo said, pretty annoyed at what Sho did.

"You can thank me later." Sho said, like talking to an Imagawa shinobi was something terrible.

"I wouldn't look forward to that..." Hideo replied, watching Emiko talking to her brother.

"Oh don't tell me you are even thinking that..." Sho said, like the very thought of being with an Imagawa was disgusting. Hideo began to reply but before he could Aiko ran over and tapped his shoulder to get his attention.

"Hideo-san your father wants to speak with you all." She said, "Hello Sho-kun." She added when she noticed him.

"Alright I'll be right there." He said, Aiko nodded and walked off, "I'll talk to you some other time Sho."

"Yeah." Sho said, walking away. Hideo walked back into the house and started walking back to the meeting room, where Emiko, Matsu, Akio, Yoshihiro, and Makoto were waiting.

"Good we're all here. Now then I have a mission for you..." Makoto said.


End file.
